January 7th, 2009 by Andres Gallo

$130

Design

Dunlop is one of those brands that people know for the great designs that have placed across time throughout the years. Amongst their most popular line of products is their crybaby line. When guitarists think of wah pedals, the name crybaby is the one I am sure crosses the mind of most, most of the time.
Visually the crybaby 535Q looks like a simple pedal, and seems no different than the other wahs. Up close, however, one finds a design that is both cleverer and more versatile, while simultaneously staying true to the classics. The pedal functions and for the most part looks like their classic wah relatives. It even includes the fasel inductor that gave the vintage wahs that tone of theirs. The advantage however is in the tone controls it includes that give it virtually the sound of a variety of wah pedals, all in one package. One knob allows you to control the frequency center, and another controls the range available for the pedal. To top it all, it even has a boost button on the side that provides a volume boost for those wailing wah solos rock music is famous for.
The design is great, maintaining a conservative classic look, adding modern versatility, and putting it all into a tough casing.

Sound

It is hard to write any negatives on the sound quality of this wah, as there are nothing but good tones all across the possibilities.You can have all sorts of wah sounds. The other great thing is these sounds have lots of body when they should, and the range can be incredible in both its modern and vintage tones. Although a modern wah, this thing can pull off those vintage tones without much trouble, and sounds splendid in all cases. Although one of the best wahs for the price out there, it isn’t perfect. It does not have true bypass, and as such it can eat your signal, although I never noticed any signal loss from it. With that in mind, this wah should be added to everyones wah list.

Reliability

From its feel and appearance this pedal is built to last a really long time. However, I feel I have to include in this review, that my own crybaby 535q stopped working out of nowhere. I think these pedals will last most people, and perhaps I just got one of the rare delicate productions. The pedal still turns on, but the potentiometer that controls the rocking pedal part of it is defective, which is a simple and cheap fix. Don’t be intimidated by this, however. This is still a great wah pedal in the “affordable market,” and is used by many greats like Joe Satriani.

Customer Support

Their customer support is great.  They offered to help me very quickly.

December 26th, 2008 by Andres Gallo

$77

Design

This score scores high in its design with its simplicity, and range of tones. The pedal seems very reliable, and the knobs are very smooth. And while simplicity may sound like a bad thing to some, it does not stop the possibilities with this pedal, and the fact that there is no other pedal like it. This pedal is legendary. Now I am not saying the design is perfect. While it has a lot of control over the tone, all while being simple, the pedal has a huge design turn off. The physical design is huge, and clunky looking, which I honestly think was purposely done to look like the original. Luckily EHX, however, now offers a new Big Muff called “Big Muff with tone wicker,” which supposedly is the same thing in a smaller package with some new stuff for more control. Another aspect I disliked in the design of this amazing pedal is the power input which requires a non-standard plug for the AC adapter; fortunately all the pedalboards I have tried come with a cable to power the big muff, in case you are all wondering.

Sound

Thick, warm fuzz sound. There are many fuzz pedals, however, I think this is the best out of them all, with it’s low tightness thickness. Many of you may be wondering why I like its low-fi thickness. This is not a distortion pedal, but is something much more original, which is what made it so popular. It’s low-fi tightnness prevents the sharp distortion sound, but instead creates the famous smooth creamy buttery fuzz sound this pedal is so famous for. With only three knobs, you get some really cool tones, all which may be completely different. The sustain knob can give it some more sustain and gain, and when raised high, it can give some incredible sustain that sounds absolutely beautiful. The tone knob can make the sound very fuzzy and bright/gritty, and even liquid. The volume knob does its job nicely, and the pedal is very quiet. Another great thing about this pedal, as well all the new Electro Harmonix pedals is their true bypass. This means you won’t lose signal while the pedal is off, which PREVENTS something I find really annoying when there are too many pedals involved. That something is of course…signal loss, and such does not happen here.

Sound

Thick, warm fuzz sound. There are many fuzz pedals, however, I think this is the best out of them all, with it’s low tightness thickness. Many of you may be wondering why I like its low-fi thickness. This is not a distortion pedal, but is something much more original, which is what made it so popular. It’s low-fi tightnness prevents the sharp distortion sound, but instead creates the famous smooth creamy buttery fuzz sound this pedal is so famous for. With only three knobs, you get some really cool tones, all which may be completely different. The sustain knob can give it some more sustain and gain, and when raised high, it can give some incredible sustain that sounds absolutely beautiful. The tone knob can make the sound very fuzzy and bright/gritty, and even liquid. The volume knob does its job nicely, and the pedal is very quiet. Another great thing about this pedal, as well all the new Electro Harmonix pedals is their true bypass. This means you won’t lose signal while the pedal is off, which PREVENTS something I find really annoying when there are too many pedals involved. That something is of course…signal loss, and such does not happen here. Sound wise, I think this is a pedal that should be on everybody’s pedalboard; its that good.

Reliability

The construction is very solidly built. It was built in New York, where manufacturing standards are high. I just wish they could have made the pedal a lot smaller, as it would definitely fit in a smaller enclosure. I have been using this pedal for years and it still works and sound the same it did when I got it.

Customer Support

Some of the best customer support I have dealt with. They are very quick to reply. I never had an Electro Harmonix product break on me, therefore I don’t know how they deal with repairs and such.

December 23rd, 2008 by Andres Gallo

$129

Design

This device was designed with portability in mind and that shows. I personally find it too thick to be “pocket friendly,” but it is very small for all it does. The design is very space economical and smart through out. You know how on a keyboard holding the shift key changes the function of other keys. The same principle is used here, allowing lots of manipulation to the sound out of only four knobs, two buttons, and a 4 way pad button. The knobs control the gain, effect, delay, and volume for the preset, or they can be used to equalize the bass, midrange, top end, and reverb. In addition, it has what makes a pod what it is; this is some really good cabinet simulations, amp simulations, and a load of effects. Also available in the Pod is a tuner and a tap tempo button and LED for the delay. There is also the possibility to choose the output type, so that you can get the best sound using your headphones, cabinet, PA, or whatever it is that you’ll use as output.
Being a pocket-able device it can run on batteries, (I recommend rechargeable batteries as they only last a few hours) and will give all sorts of tones everywhere. The one thing I wish they had included is the possibility to install the Pod footswitch, but I guess they left it out as it is supposed to be pocket-able, and that would defeat the purpose.

Sound

This little thing can deliver some great sound when used with really good headphones. The “digitalness” is always there, but still, for the size and the price you get an endless amount of tones. Also make sure to use it with warm sounding headphones, cause the sound here is somewhat harsh with some settings. The high gain settings sound amazing for portable use, while the clean sounds are good but a little dry and cold sounding. I use the built in effects to liven up the clean sound.

Reliability

It is made of plastic, however everything feels very solid, and it has held up for over a year of abuse, and still feels solid. The construction I have no doubt is top notch.

Customer Support

Line6 has great customer support. They were very fast at replying to my questions.